Cleaning machine



- July 11, 1944; A. P. SCHU LZ CLEANING MACHINE Fil ed Dec. 4, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 11, 1944 Arumr. Schulz, mill: Home South Bend, Ind.,assignor to Appliances, Inc., outh. Bend, a corporation of DelawareApplication llecember 4, 1939. Serial No. 307.385 6 Claims. 299-63) Thisinvention relates to a cleaning machine and more particularly to amachine for washing dishes and like articles.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a cleaning machine inwhich the articles to be cleaned are supported in a stationary rack orthe like and a fan-like spray of cleaning liquid is directed over themin arcuate sweeps. The arouate sweeps of thespray may be eitheroscillat- 31g sweeps or successive sweeps in the same direc- Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a cleaning machine including avaned impeller for creating a spray of'cleaning liquid in which thespray is guided indifferent directions. According to one importantfeature of the invention the spray whose direction is changed to sweepacross the container or casing of the machine.

Yet another object of the invention is to pro-- vide a cleaningmachinein which the level of cleaning liquid is automatically andaccurately limited.

The above and other objects, advantages and novel features of theinvention will appear from the following description when read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a central section of a dishwashing machine embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a perspectiveview of the tubular guide sleeve of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is, an enlarged section through the guide sleeve oil'set toshow both-the inletand outlet openings;

Figure 4 is a section at right angles to Figure 1 illustrating anotherconstruction;

Figure 5 isv a perspective view of the guide sleeve of Figure i; Figure6 is a partial perspective showing the gu de sleeve driving gearing ofFigure 4. i

The machine of Figure '1 comprises a container. or receptacle l0supported in. a casing illustrated by the dotted line I! and adapted tobe closed by a cover plate It supported above its dishes I! orlikearticles l4. The receptacle holds a rack to be cleaned. A com.

duit II which may lead from the usual city'water supply is connected tothe upper part ofthe container ll pasta valve 22. An outlet conduit 24also communicates with the lower partof the receptacle and with theinlet of a pump 28 which is driven by a motor 38. The pump outletcommunicates with a discharge conduit 30 leading to any desired point.The outlet conduit is controlled by a va1ve'32 arranged adjacent thepump inlet and which may be operated in any desired mannen' v The inletvalve, as shown, is adapted to be opened by a. solenoid I4 connected inseries with a manual switch 34 and with a second switch 38.

is confined toa relatively thin sheet bottom which supports to a rod 42which its closed position.

The switch 38 has an operating arm 40 connected diaphragm 44 therediaphragm upwardly to move the When it is desired to 1111 the machinewith water or other cleaning liquid the switch 36 may be closed toenergize solenoid I4 and openthe inlet valve 22. Water then flows intothe container l0 filling the drain pipe 24 and creating a A spring 46urges the pressure head on the diaphragm 44 opposing the spring 46. Whenreaches a 'suflicient level the water in the container to depress thediaphragm 44 the switch 38 will be opened to interrupt the circuit tosolenoid 34 so that the 'inlet' valve 22 may close. Thus thisconstruction determines and limits the level of the water in thecontainer.

Preferably the spring 48 is so adJusted as tomaintain the water levelsubstantially at the line. L-L

inFigurel.

An impeller. indicated generally at As is rotatably mounted-in the lowerpart. of the container and is provided at its ends with a-shai'textending through the opposite sides of the container wall. A pulley I0is secured to one end of the impeller shaft and is connected by a belt52 with a pulley 54 on the shaft otthe driving motor 28. It .will benoted that the pulley is substantially smaller than the pulley '4 sothat the impeller will be driven at a relatively high speed. In apreferred embodiment a motor turning 1725 R. P. M. and a ratio of 2 to 1between pulleys 54 a and ill are used so that the impeller is driven ata speed of 3450 R. P. M.

At its opposite end the impeller shaft carries a pinion 5B driving aconcentric pinion 58 through a train of reduction gearing. The pinion i8is secured to the sleeved end of a tubular guide sleeve 80 which isrotatably mounted around the impeller in the lower part 01' thecontainer.

The guide sleeve 64, as best seen in Figures 2 and 8', is formed with aseries of axially spaced outlet'openings I! on diametrically oppositesides formed by slitting the periphery of the sleeve and pressing out aportionthereof in theshape Of a louver. The guide sleeve is furtherformed with diametrically opposite series of inlet openings 64substantially elongated circumferentially of the' sleeve and spacedaxially and circumferentially from the outlet openings 82.

The impeller is formed with a series of axially spaced sets of vanes 46in alignment with the.

' outlet openings 82 and with the spaces between the vanes aligned withthe inlet openings 64.

In use the container is filled to the indicated at high speed so that.it will'piclr up waterfrom extends into the drain pipe 24 and is securedat its upper end to a flexible switch 33 to openings and one are formedwith closely spaced the lower portion of the guide sleeve and throwit'out at high velocity in the form of a flat fan shaped spray throughthe outlet openings 62. As

the impeller rotates, the guide sleeve 80 will be rotated at a muchslower speed through the reduction gearing 56-58 so that the spray willsweep across the container in contact with the dishes and will clean thesame. Water from the lower part of the container flows constantly intoone or the other sets of inlet openings 64 and axially into the impellervanes so that a continuous spray is created. As best seen in FigureFigures 1 to 3 and have been indicated by the same reference characters.

In this construction the impeller 48 is identical with that of Figure 1,but the guide. sleeve 88 differs in that it is provided with only oneset of louvered outlet set of inlet openings 12 which sets of elongatedslots. The guide sleeve 68 is pivotally connected to one end of a. linkI4 which is pivoted at'its opposite end to a crank 16 lying inside ofthe container Ill. The crank isconnected to ashaft l8 projecting throughthe wall of the container and carryingon the outside thereof a worm gear8|! which meshes with a worm 82. A worm gear 84 rigid with the worm 82meshes in turn with a worm 85 formed on or securedto the end of theimpeller shaft. In this construction as the impeller rotates, the link14 will be rocked by the crank 16 to oscillate the guide sleeve 68. Thusthe spray directedoutwardly by the outlet openings will sweep back andforth across the container and against the dishes or other articleswhich may be supported therein.

An important novel feature of the invention resides in the fact that theguide sleeve concentrates the entire impeller discharge int-o a spray ofexceptionally high mass, and a very high velocity results from rotatingthe impeller at its relatively high speed of 3450 R. P. M. This theoryof operation is distinctive over the prior art machines in which largemass surges are created by relatively slow moving impellers (1725 R. P.M); and over the prior art machines in which very fine, low mass spraysare created by fast moving impellers.

While several embodiments of the invention have been shown and describedin detail it will be understood that various changes might be madetherein f and it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention tothe exact forms shown nor otherwise than by the terms of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a cleaning machine including a container for articlesto becleaned, a rotatable impeller having a plurality of axially spaced setsof vanes, means for rotating said impeller, a tubular guide sleeverotatably surrounding the impeller and formed with peripheral outletopenings alined with the sets of vanes and peripheral inlet openingsbetween the sets of vanes; and

at a rate slower than the rotation of said impeller to vary the positionof the discharge openings.

means for continuously turning the guide sleeve container impellerhaving a plurality of axially spaced sets 2. For use in a cleaningmachine including a for articles to be cleaned, a rotatable of vanes,means for rotating said impeller, a

tubular guide sleeve movably surrounding the impeller and formed withperipheral outlet openings alined with the sets of vanes and peripheralinlet openings between the sets of vanes, and means for oscillating theguide sleeve to move the outlet openings back and forth across the upperportion of the impeller at a rate slower than the movement of saidimpeller in its rotation.

3. For use in a cleaning machine including a container for articles tobe cleaned, a rotatable impeller having a plurality of axially spacedsets ofvanes, means for rotating said impeller, a tubular guide sleevemovably surrounding the impeller and formed with diametrically oppositesets of peripheral outlet openings alined with the sets of vanes andperipheral inlet openings of substantial circumferential extent betweenthe s'ets of vanes, and means for rotating the guide sleeve relative tosaid impeller so that the sets of outlet openings alternately movearound the upper part of the impeller at a rate slower than the rotationof said impeller.

4. For use in a cleaning machine including a container for articles tobe cleaned, a rotatable impeller having a plurality of axially spacedsets of vanes, a tubular guide sleeve movably surrounding the impellerandiormed with peripheral impeller at a rate slower than the rotation ofsaid.

impeller.

5. For use in a cleaning machine including a container for articles tobe cleaned, a rotatable impeller having a plurality of axially spacedsets of vanes, means for rotating said impeller, a tubular guide sleevemovably surrounding the impeller and formed with diametrically oppositesets of peripheral outlet openings alined with the sets of vanes andperipheral inlet openings of substantial circumferential extent betweenthe sets .of vanes, means for supplying cleaning liquid to a levelintermediate the top and bottom of the guide sleeve, and means forrotating the guide sleeve relative to said impeller at a rate slowerthan the rotation of said impeller so that the sets of outlet openingsare alternately submerged in and move above the level of the liquid.

6. 'For use in a cleaning machine, a spray unit for cleaning liquidcomprising a rotatable vaned impeller and a tubular guide sleevesurroundin the impeller formed with an axially spaced series ofperipheral outlet openings and a series of peripheral inlet openingsspaced axially and cir-, cumferentially oi the outlet openings, meansfor rotating said impeller, and means torotate said tubular guidesleeve-on the. axis of said impeller but at a rate of rotation slowerthan the rate of rotation of said impeller.

- ARTHUR P. SCHULZ.

inlet openings and will be

